


Brother dear

by Cactusing (jojo_cactus)



Series: Shapeshifters Universe [3]
Category: One Piece
Genre: M/M, Short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-04
Updated: 2016-04-04
Packaged: 2018-05-31 05:56:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6458584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jojo_cactus/pseuds/Cactusing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>We all know Ace is a protective brother.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Brother dear

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally going to longer and something else but it was taking way too long to get where I wanted so..

Two days into his extended stay at Garp’s villa, Law quickly discovers one thing: the wolves dislike him. No, they hate him. Perhaps even “hate” is not strong enough of a word - they loathe him. The scent of iron boiling, a low-rising growl in the back of the throat, and bare fangs catching morning light when Luffy isn’t looking their way. Law feels more than competent, but an entire pack of wolves hungry for his blood is a tad extravagant for his usual party. So he shifts closer to the teen wolf, who’s busy stuffing his face with morning rolls and sausages and anything that’s on the table and within his reach, and sets on grooming the other’s hair. Luffy looks up at the sudden display of affection, the tips of his ears twitching in rapid succession.

  
“Don’t mind me,” says Law as he casually licks the side of Luffy’s face. The air thickens ever so slightly but no one slashes out at him. Playing the royal messenger has its merit, or so it seems. If anything, he’s a lord in his own right, whether they like him or not. There used to be a time when Law himself didn’t like his title either - oh, but look where it got him. He glances down at the young wolf and almost chuckles at what he sees. Luffy looks positively troubled, torn over whether he should completely give into Law’s touches or resume eating.

  
Just as the leopard is about to let him go, though, a pair of rough hands grip and yank them apart. They both yelp - Law wouldn’t admit it, but he does - and turn sharply around to see the offender.

  
A tall man glares down at them. Or just at Law, really. He’s bare-chested despite the chilly temperature in the great hall, flaunting his chiselled muscles, and even his trousers stop short at his knees. The expression on his face is severe, all the more menacing that he makes no attempt to hide it.

  
“Ace!” Luffy’s face brightens, jumping at his older brother.

  
“Ace,” Law greets unhappily.

  
“It’s Lord Ace to you, kitty,” the freckled-man practically spits at him and he has to bite on his tongue less he aggravates the situation further. Anything Law does or simply is, for that matter, seems to offend Ace. Corazon would say he has reason to be–Law slept with his little brother, after all. But the leopard doesn’t feel entirely at fault - first of all, it was consensual; and second of all, it was Luffy who turned down a marriage proposal between them - and sometime in the past forty-eight hours he’s said as much, only to receive a direct blow to his chin.

  
“Can we go sledding today?” the younger of the brothers is saying. Law dismisses the image of lecturing Corazon from his mind, so what if Luffy still acts like a child.

  
“Oh! Let’s make a snowman first. Then snow fight,” Ace replies excitedly, whatever seriousness he fostered but mere seconds ago gone like snow under the sun. Choking on his mouthful of milk, Law stares at him in disbelief. They are still such children.

  
“I want hot chocolate,” says Luffy, wistful.

  
“Now?”

  
“Yeah, now and after we snow fight, too.”

  
“Okay. We’ll go sledding in the afternoon. We need to go out now then, the sun sets quickly. I’ll go get my coat.”  
When Ace exits the hall, taking a mountain of plates in his arms, Luffy turns to the leopard and starts prancing around him.

“You’re coming, Torao!”

  
“No,” says Law instinctively. He’s fine with the cold, his body is practically built for it, but that doesn’t mean he likes sculpting gentlemen with devious-smiles out of snow.

  
“Aw, come on!” the wolf climbs him, wrapping his legs around Law’s waist and pulling himself up so their eyes are level. “It’ll be fun.”

  
He sighs. “You and I have a very different idea of fun, Luffy-ya.”

  
“What’s your fun?”

  
Law picks Luffy by the back of his tunic and sets him down on the ground. Books and scrolls are waiting for him in his chamber - the elder wolf has been surprisingly generous with opening his library to the leopard. One, The History of Herbal Medicine in Drum, written by an elegant hand, sounds particularly promising for a snowy day like this. Then he takes one look at Luffy, who’s still staring up at him with a slight pout to the lips, and briefly contemplates his choices.  
“Reading,” he says for a measure. Luffy instantly crunches his nose in disgust, and he has to clear his throat to keep from laughing. “Or you could join me in bed.”

  
The wolf cocks his head to a side, his eyes still fixed on Law. What goes on inside that mop of black hair the leopard has no idea, and will likely never know, but he’s hopeful.

  
“You’re weird, Torao,” Luffy states. “I’m not sleepy, I want to go throw snowballs at Ace. But you should take a nap, sometimes eating breakfast makes me wanna sleep, too.”

  
With that, he’s already turning his heels and calling out for somebody to make him hot chocolate. A servant girl rushes to him with his coat, he’s been walking around in a sleeveless tunic and everyone knows to look out for pneumonia in cold like this. Law for his part stands rooted to the dining hall ground. Thankfully, he remembers to shut his mouth before long; he’ll pretend he can’t hear the wolves snicker.

 

 

***

 

 

The heavy oak door slams into the wall. It sends quakes throughout the entire villa, Law is sure. He puts down the book carefully - it’s a valuable manuscript, after all - and awaits for the dark thing to catapult into him. It happens in less than a blink of the eye. A warm tongue laps at his face and Law half-heartedly pushes it off, only to have contrastingly cold hands grab and hold him in place as Luffy kisses him.

  
“How was the snow fight?” he manages to enquire once Luffy lets him go, the back of his head hurting like hell from contacting with the floor so bluntly.

  
“GREAT!” the wolf answers merrily. Someone calls at the door, probably the poor servant girl from earlier, something about warming his hands properly so he doesn’t get a frostbite. They are incredibly cold, Law notes.

  
But Luffy seems happy where he is, his small body fitted on top of Law’s. A puppyish yawn erupts.

  
“Here, let’s get you to bed,” Law makes a move to sit up, except Luffy puts a hand to chest and pushes him down.

  
“Shh, Torao,” he all but whispers. “Nap time.”

  
When the door swings a second time and shows one fuming Ace, Law tries to look as stern and dignified as he can with a sleeping wolf on his chest. He himself is a little appalled by Luffy’s lack of modesty, however ironic that is for him to think–the teen reveals his wolf form to Law on the second day of his extended stay and has since been shapeshifting back and forth without a care in the world. In front of everyone, all over the villa, really. Of course, it’s not like he’s considered if it was the wolves’ culture, but he hasn’t seen a single wolf - a real wolf, that is - so far and expects not to as he is a foreigner. Heck, Law can’t remember the last time he shapeshifted in front of anyone. Not even Corazon has seen him since he hit puberty.

  
“I had no part in this,” he now says to Ace, who looks at him murderously.

  
“You know what, I actually believe you,” the older wolf grumbles. “Try as he might, Gramps was never able to install sense in him.”

  
Ace reaches down and scoops his brother into his arms, an instant weight off Law’s chest. Just as he’s about to sit up, though, Luffy snaps his eyes open. It seems to take a moment for him to register that, if he’s seeing Law from this distance then he can’t be snuggling on his chest.

  
“Torao!” he wriggles, something like panic in his voice.

  
“Quiet, will you,” Ace chastises. “I’m taking you to your chamber.”

  
“Toraoo.”

  
“He’s busy. Tons of books to read, see? Don’t got time for you.”

  
“He said I could join him in bed!” Luffy bites the air. “I wanna sleep with him!”

“What.”

That might have been his cue to jump out the window. Sorry, too late, a voice whispers.

  
“He means cuddling, I’m sure,” he tries anyway.

  
“Oh, I know he does,” Ace seethes, hugging his still fighting baby brother tight. “but do you?”

  
Well. Law may be a man of few words but he’s never one to lose his words - except this time he is. Lying is always an option, lying comes as naturally as reading does to him, although for one he knows Ace won’t believe him. He doesn’t want to lie either, oddly enough. Yes, he is attracted to Luffy, unfortunately or not so unfortunately. And yes, he wants to sleep with Luffy. What’s so bad about that?

  
Unfortunately for him, Ace starts growling as his silence grows.

  
“You- you fiend-,” he’s accusing. “you lecherous, moraless feline-”

  
“Must you canines be archaic about everything?” Law retorts finally. “It was consensual! He wanted it as much as I did!”

  
The older wolf of the two gasps, like he’s never even dared to entertain the thought. The effect might have been comical, those shocked eyes and mouth agape, if it didn’t have to put Law at the center of the drama. Old-fashioned morons he’s been warned about, but they wore frilly clothes and mighty-high wigs in stories. Certainly didn’t expect it from a man who walks around half-naked.

  
“Oh, is this about me and Torao having sex?” Luffy speaks out of nowhere. He looks up at his older brother and grins sincerely, oblivious to the latter’s ever-growing despair. “It was good! I want to do it again.”

  
There’s screaming before he finishes the last sentence. It’s Ace–he covers his ears and starts screaming. For a long time. Luffy, who lands on the floor as a result, looks profusely confused and shapeshifts back to his lanky human form.  
“Why is he doing that?” he asks Law in a hushed voice he didn’t know the teen could make.

  
“Don’t,” is all he can say. “Just, don’t talk.”

  
After moments of pulling his hair and dashing about the room, all the while screaming, Ace finally calms down. His feet stop in front of Luffy, who has by this time clambered up to Law’s laps, and grabs him roughly by the back of his clothes.  
“Hey!” the teen protests.

  
“You’re going to your room,” his older brother says, dead serious. “Now.”


End file.
